The Ventura Film Festival maintains its position as "the grandest film festival ever to take place in Ventura County." This prestigious recognition underscores the organization's mission of providing outstanding film programming to the region while sustaining its commitment to vital ecological concerns.
The Ventura Film Festival exists as a diverse genre worldwide film festival that builds consciousness about conservation issues such as forest and ocean preservation and restoration, via an annual film festival and associated activities. The festival leverages the impact of filmmaking to promote activism and create meaningful dialogue around these urgent ecological issues.
The Ventura Film Festival was established in 2004 and has displayed hundreds of movies, usually over 200 films each summer, and has garnered interest from the global cinema community. Throughout its history, the event has developed into an important cultural gathering that unites movie directors, ecological activists, and attendees from across the globe.
Some of the highlights have been hosting award winning filmmaker Dylan O'Neil, the pioneering world champion surfers Peter "PT" Townend together with Ian Cairns, four-time world champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/MMA competitor combat sports star Fabio Leopoldo, and the half-century commemoration of West Side Story, which featured welcoming the complete Academy Award winning ensemble website of West Side Story, encompassing Academy Award winner/Golden Globe recipient George Chakiris and legendary actor Golden Globe winner/Academy Award nominated Russ Tamblyn. These distinguished guests and festivities have established the festival's standing as a first-class destination for celebrating cinema and the visionaries who produce it.
The founding executive director of the Ventura Film Festival was chosen to participate, together with many of Hollywood's biggest stars, in the 50-year anniversary event of West Side Story and Hollywood's footprint/handprint ceremony for Academy Award winners Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, and Golden Globe winner Russ Tamblyn at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. This ceremony also acted as the official BluRay release by Fox and MGM of West Side Story, which is widely considered by critics and fans to be the ultimate musical of all time. This esteemed acknowledgment and participation demonstrates the festival's meaningful presence and esteemed status within the entertainment community.